Terry Kitchen’s latest album Lost Songs is made up of new recordings of older, unreleased songs, songs that span Kitchen’s career. It’s a fresh, rewarding look back through the career of this Boston folkie. And, this basement tapes style album is simply a very good album. Kitchen can reach any listener with his timely messages of hope, healing, and mournful reflection.
“Opposite Day” opens the album with its positive view of life, a life that is only possible in a daydream. Kitchen applies his smooth even voice to lyrics about all the TV news being positive, loving his job, and being paid too much. It doesn’t hurt that Kitchen’s warm, mounting acoustic strum and a sunshiny harmonica line keep this pleasant ditty as sweet as the voice and lyrics.
“Here’s To Us” weaves a quiet romantic spell. Kitchen’s tender smooth vocal spreads like a sweet syrup over his sentimental acoustic guitar picking as well as a graceful lead guitar from. He plays it all pretty low key with a touch of country twang to buttress the emotive waves coming through the vocal and acoustic.
“Nickel Bag” focuses on Kitchen’s youthful interest in marijuana sales, particularly at an upcoming Pink Floyd concert. This singer-songwriter maintains a fondness in his voice for his look back at being arrested. A lead guitar line arcs to put a forlorn feeling over the emotive grist Kitchen weaves within. It is the placement of that warm voice, that tender acoustic guitar line, and that slipper lead that packs a wallop
Kitchen becomes even more reflective on “She Never Looks Out The Window.” It required imagination as it’s about an incidental person this singer-songwriter only occasionally sees in passing. Kitchen’s thoughtful reflection on this person gets coated with his soft vocal timber magic. He spreads over his sweet backing vocals and sensitive acoustic instruments a voice filled with warmth, compassion, and curiosity.
Kitchen levels his smooth, tender vocal over polite accompaniment on “The Morning After (The Night Before).” This singer-songwriter blends his warm timbre in just right among acoustic six string and a lonesome fiddle line. Voice and instruments come together as well as good coffee and pastry.
A misty eyed, dreamy atmosphere haunts “Hard Time For Love.” Moody guitar notes fall like tears as an electric wrings out more weepy slide notes. Kitchen need only be himself at the microphone for this one. He pleads for understanding of the worlds as it is, using his gentle approach to reach those who can’t find what they need in a barren world.
“Walk Around The Block” gets a marching stomp from its acoustic guitar chords. That sense of motion keeps one following along. A simple but catchy chorus heightens the interest as the guitar emulates the pace of walking as Kitchen waxes philosophically about the joys having a personal place in one’s own neighborhood.
“The Way Of The World” is standard folk music, sensitive voice and a motivational acoustic guitar, tweaked with a pinch of shiny electric guitar. Kitchen pours forth the emotion when he talks about selling important personal items like photographs on the internet. This one can hit the listener in the heart without even trying.
“The Nederland Waltz” puts Kitchen’s emotive vocal approach over rippling mandolin notes. His soft, smooth flow engages the listener as he sings of old rock and roll experiences. He perfectly captures the wistful look back
The Brassy “Brand New Laces (Same Old Shoes)” features guest vocalist Rebecca Lynch nailing the sassy attitude in Kitchen’s lyrics, a world weary view expressed in a Billie Holiday manner. This one is a breezy beauty and Kitchen was wise to utilize the rangy talents of Lynch to deliver the goods.
The playful “You And Me And The Kama Sutra” pokes fun at every couples favorite past time. This ode to copulation explains how to make the most of a winter’s night when the power goes out. Kitchen’s mild mannered vocal and his simple acoustic guitar chord progression lets the witty lyrics take the spotlight, working wonders at how well Kitchen can amuse his listeners.
“Don’t Kick The Cat” grinds its way forward with an assertive accordion and forceful percussion, Kitchen singing up-tempo to the march of support. He pushes his witty lyrics as a mild admonishment in his theme. This piece makes for a nice comedic break in this album’s deluge of emotive material.
A childhood memory infuses “Thirty-One Flavors” with a special reverence. Using an ice cream menu as a metaphor for our choices in life, Kitchen reflects on how each choice puts us on a single path. His gentle voice makes lyrics like “jimmies on top” ring out with sweet feeling and sweet memories. Kitchen also puts a reoccurring bright note in his acoustic guitar melody. That one note clearly anchors this piece in a sensitive mode.
“Ex-Girlfriend Weekend” turns on a pop hook. Its chorus, sung with steady verve, finds Kitchen bringing extra charm to this witty piece. Musing over the awkward instances when one runs into someone whom one had dated in the past, this singer-songwriter amuses with at a lilting acoustic guitar line, making it fun and bouncy.
A sorrowful weeper, “Jack And Jill And Mary And Me” finds Kitchen discussing the aftermath of people falling in love with the other friend’s partner. A serious vibe surrounds every meter of this song. Kitchen maintains a somber timbre like few others can while his acoustic guitar work is loaded with wistful regret. While the singer-songwriter maintains a somber tone, there is a sublime beauty here in that Kitchen is mourning the loss of something that was once a beautiful thing.
Close out track “No Heroic Measures” first focuses on Kitchen’ father recovering after a team of surgeons spent the night saving his life. From there, Kitchen describes other matters that require great courage, and a mild application of his reverent timbre brings the theme home with a tender clarity.
Kitchen has come up with quite a collection of music by gathering and finally recording songs that he’s had gathering dust on his shelves for many years. One can hear and feel the different perspective he’s held throughout the years of his music career. A basement tapes of sort, Long Songs is a must have for long time fans of this singer-songwriters as well as for fans of the Boston folk scene.
